~ Psalm 119:89,"Forever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven"

– Room for Jesus –

Isaiah 53:5, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities”

Luke 2:11, “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”
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Although I wrote this devotional several years ago for the Christmas season, I strongly believe it’s so relevant not only for Christmas but for any month of the year. So, it would be my desire that if the Lord is speaking to you now or has spoken to you in the past regarding salvation that you won’t put it off, but that you would make “Room for Jesus” in your heart.

The story has been told about a young girl in Africa who gave her teacher a beautiful seashell as a Christmas gift. The teacher asked the girl where she found the shell. The child told her that such shells are found only on a certain faraway beach. The teacher was deeply touched, because she knew the girl had walked many miles to find this particular shell. “You shouldn’t have traveled so far just to find a gift for me,” she said. The girl simply smiled and replied, “The long walk is part of the gift.”

This girl, wise beyond her years, probably didn’t know that she was conveying a truth about Jesus Christ. He gives the wonderful gift of eternal life to all who believe in Him (Romans 6:23). It is a treasure that carries with it forgiveness of all our sins, and God’s never-failing love (Romans 8:28-39). Christ’s gift to us also began with a journey. He left the splendors of heaven to come to our sin-drenched earth. He took upon Himself our humanity (John 1:14) and walked the long road to the cross, and there He bore our sin and its entire penalty. And when I say to Him in heartfelt gratitude, “It’s too much, Jesus. You shouldn’t have done it,” I can picture Him looking at me with love-filled eyes and saying so very tenderly, “The journey is part of the gift.”

Throughout the centuries since Jesus’ birth, man has marveled at the wonder of His person and work. Thus, an unknown author declared the following about Him: He became a man that we might become the sons of God. In infancy, He troubled a king. In boyhood, He puzzled the teachers. In manhood, He ruled the course of nature; He walked upon the billows, hushed the sea to sleep, and healed the multitudes without medicine. He never wrote a book, yet the libraries of the world are filled with volumes that have been written about Him. He never penned a musical note, yet He is the theme of more songs than any other subject. Great men have come and gone; yet, He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. Satan could not seduce Him. All others have failed in some way, but not Jesus!

Of Him Pilate said, “I find no fault in this Man” (Luke 23:4). A Roman soldier declared, “Certainly this was a righteous Man” (Luke 23:47). And God Himself announced from heaven, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Mark 9:7). Not only is Christ matchless in His person and work, but the lowliest believer knows him as Savior and Friend. Jesus is Wonderful. Worship Him not only at the Christmas season but every day!
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Closing thoughts:

Christians are divided in their thinking about Christmas. Some want to give up on it and hand it over to the department stores. Others want to salvage it and use it to say something important about the birth of Jesus to a weary secular and lost world. I, for one, would like to take my place with the second group. My friend, we can become so caught up in the commercial busyness of the season that we overlook how great a gift this little Baby really was. Bethlehem’s stable was the first step in God’s Love-Journey to Calvary’s Cross. Maybe you think of Jesus only at Christmastime and picture Him as a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes? If so, then you’re missing the true message of Christmas! My friend, we can’t keep Jesus Christ in a nativity scene. He longs for a living and active relationship with us.

Just as Israel brought the ark out of obscurity and into everyday life, so let us bring Christ out of the cradle and into our lives, not only at Christmas, but throughout each day of each month and always. Luke 2:7 tells us, “There was no room for them in the inn.” Mary’s condition and their desperate need for a place where she could give birth to her child. But “there was no room for them in the inn.” So, when Jesus was born, His mother “wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manager.” Today, thousands of years later, millions of people have no room for Jesus; even though they participate enthusiastically in the festivities of the Christmas season, they keep Him out of their lives because the “No Vacancy” sign is there. So, how about you:

(1) Is there room in your life for Christ today?
(2) What better time than today to rededicate your life to Him; or
(3) To receive Him as your Lord and Savior!
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If Christ is kept on the outside, something must be wrong on the inside.